“You keep looking, while I see who’s at the door.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
Halfway up the hallway, I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart catching painfully. Through the screen, I could see Emily, holding a Tupperware container in both hands like it might explode. She wore jeans and a soft pink sweater, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Fuck, she looked heartbreakingly gorgeous, standing at my door with the afternoon sun gilding her in soft light.
For the past three days, I’d thought of little else but Emily. I’d been desperate to check in on her, to make sure she was okay. One time, I’d even got halfway to my door before I’d checked myself.
Now she was here, I had no fucking idea what to say to her. I pushed the screen door open “Hi.”
“Hi.” Her voice came out breathy, a little too high and her gaze was fixed somewhere behind my left shoulder. “I just um…I wanted to thank you. For the other day. You really helped me and I... I mean, we live next door to each other, so it’s not like I can avoid you forever, so I thought I should…” She trailed off, holding up the Tupperware container.
Without a word, I pushed the screen door open wider. An invitation.
She hesitated, her teeth catching her bottom lip, then she stepped inside.
I led her toward the kitchen, gesturing to the table. “Have a seat.”
She slid into one of the chairs, setting the container down carefully. Her hands immediately went to her lap, fingers lacing together. She still wasn’t looking at me.
“Coffee?”
“Oh, um yeah. Sure. Thank you.”
I grabbed two mugs from the cabinet and started the Keurig, the machine humming to life. Then I leaned back against the counter, arms folded, and just looked at her.
She was sitting perfectly still except for her right knee, which bounced slightly under the table. Her thumbnail worked at the edge of her index finger, pressing into the cuticle.
Three days ago, she’d been shaking so hard I’d felt it through my whole body. Sobbing into my shoulder like the world was ending. Now she was here, trying to hold herself together with a thank you and Tupperware, and I had no idea how to make this less terrible for her. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to hug her.
“Emily—”
The sound of feet slipping and sliding down the hallway cut me off. Both girls appeared in the kitchen doorway, Alice in front with Audrey right behind her.
“Emily!” Alice launched herself forward, barely stopping before she crashed into Emily’s chair. “I didn’t knowyouwere here!”
Buffers. That’s exactly what we needed.
“Hi, girls.” From the way the tension in Emily’s shoulders eased, it was clear she felt the same. “I just stopped by to say hi to your dad.”
“You haven’t been to our house before.” Alice stated.
“No, that’s right, I haven’t.”
“Do you want to see our playroom?” The look on Audrey’s face clearly showed she wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“Oh, uh, okay. Sure.” Yeah, there was definitely a hint of relief in her voice.
Alice grabbed Emily’s hand, tugging. “Come on, we’ll show you.”
She let the girls pull her out of her chair and down the hallway, their voices overlapping as they told her about their playroom.
As I turned back to the coffee machine, their voices drifted back to me, muffled but clear enough to make out.
“This is where we keep all our toys,” Audrey was saying. “And that’s Alice’s side and this is my side, but we share sometimes.”
“This is so cool. You guys have the best setup.”
“What kind of room do you have?” Alice asked.
